Jesus Updated - Navid Masud, UK

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Dr. Shabbir
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Joined: Sun Dec 24, 2006 12:46 pm
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Jesus Updated - Navid Masud, UK

Post by Dr. Shabbir »



The readers will discover in this document, the texts of the Qur’an that reveals the

Realities of Historical Jesus which are different from the time-honoured tales that are

prevalent among the followers of Islam. Two varying perceptions: (1) Jesus, as recorded

within the verses of the Qur’an. (2) Jesus, as derived by from the inherited traditional

beliefs of Muslims.


The most significant fact which emerges from recently discovered Christian texts, namely the nineteenth century discovery of the Codex Sinaiticus and the twentieth century discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the material from Nag Hammadi is that the final events of the life of Jesus recorded in these materials are very similar to the relevant verses of the Qur’an. Now it is possible to read and understand the verses in the same light and spirit.


A century or so ago, prior to these three discoveries, it would not have been possible to

compare the Qur’anic texts with the Old Testament and New Testament texts concerning

the final days of the life of Jesus. That also answers the question as to why no scholar of

the Qur’an has in the past, claimed in his or her writings that the life of Jesus was

prolonged until he reached the old age and similar to the earlier Messengers of Allah,

Jesus too was married and had offspring. Although these realities of the “historical Jesus”

were revealed within the verses of the Qur’an which Muslims have been reciting since

the day they were revealed to the prophet Muhammad, some fourteen centuries ago.

Below are just two such verses:


Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My Favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit [19] so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in old age.Qur’an 5: 110


And verily we sent messengers (to mankind) before thee, and we appointed for

them wives and offspring, and it was not (given) to any messenger that he should

bring a portent save by Allah's leave. For everything there is a time prescribed. [20]

Qur’an 13: 38.


The prescribed time for having the necessary evidence to rediscover the Realities of Jesus from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur’an has arrived.


IT WAS MADE TO APPEAR, JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED

Since Jesus had "fainted" or fallen into a deep sleep like Jonah and regained his senses it is incorrect to say Jesus was "crucified" or "killed" on or by the cross. In the Oxford dictionary the verb "crucify" means; "Put to death by fastening to a cross." The following verse of the Qur'an enlightens and justifies the facts of "non-crucifixion" of Jesus in its own sublime style:

That they [Jews] said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah"; But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made

to appear to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge but only conjecture to follow. For of a surety They killed him not. Qur'an 4: 157


JESUS EXALTED IN STATUS -- NOT PHYSICALLY RAISED TO HEAVEN

Below are two translations and two commentaries:

1. Translation by Dr. Mohammad Asad:

"For, of a certainty, they did not slay him [Jesus]: nay, God exalted unto Himself – and God is indeed almighty, wise." Qur'an: 4: 157/158

Commentary # 172 by Dr. Asad:

Cf. 3:55, where God says to Jesus, "Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me." The verb rafa'ahu (lit., "he raised him" or

"elevated him") has always, whenever the act of raf' ("elevating") of human being is attributed to God, the meaning of "honouring" or

"exalting". Nowhere in the Qur'an is there any warrant for the popular belief that God has "taken up" Jesus bodily, in his lifetime, into heaven.

The expression "God exalted him unto Himself" in the above verse denotes the elevation of Jesus to the realm of God's special grace – a blessing in which all prophets partake, as it is evident from 19:57, where the verb rafa'nahu ("We exalted him") is used with regard to the Prophet Idris.

Refutes the belief of the Jews that they had put Jesus to a shameful death on the cross and the fact of God's having "exalted him unto Himself."

Another verse in connection with the exaltation:

Lo! God said: "O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee ( mutawaffe-ka wa-raafi'u-ka), unto Me and cleanse thee of those who are bent on denying the truth..." Q. 3: 55

The sequence of the above Message is crucial. The first action is; "cause thee to die" and thereafter comes the action of "shall exalt thee". To say; Jesus has been Raised up with his physical body to Heaven and is yet "alive" and will die after his "Second Coming" to earth at the 'End Time' is to reverse the sequence of that revealed Message. The dictionary meaning of ascension reads; "the action of ascending in status" and God did raise the status of Jesus, after the event of his nailing.


Jesus reached old age?

Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My Favor to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in old age. Behold! I taught thee The Book and Wisdom, The Torah and the Gospel .

And behold! Thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird by My leave. And thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave. And thou healest those born blind and the lepers by My leave.

And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee. When thou didst show them the Clear Signs and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic'". Qur'an 5: 110.

The above translation is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali and it is printed in the revised edition. The phrase "old age" is the translation of the Arabic word Kahl'lan. The same phrase "old age" is also used by M. H. Shakir in his translation published from New York and by F. Malik whose translation is on the well known computer CD Alim. However, several translators have preferred to use the phrase "maturity" instead of "old age". In verse 46: 15, the Qur'an specifies that men attain physical strength (maturity) at the age of forty.

Spiritual maturity comes later. Jesus was not even thirty-five years old when he was tried by the Roman Governor and was nailed to the cross.


GOD HAD APPOINTED WIVES AND OFFSPRING FOR EARLIER MESSENGERS...

And verily, We sent messengers (to mankind) before thee, and We appointed for them wives and offspring, and it was not (given) to any messenger that he should bring a portent save by Allah's leave. For everything there is a time prescribed. Qur'an 13: 38

Translation by M. M. Pickthall

We did send apostles before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: And it was never the part of an apostle to bring a Sign except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book (revealed). Qur'an 13: 38

Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali


Did Jesus Escapes to another land after he survived the crucifixtion?

And we made the son of Maryam (Mary) and his mother as a sign, and we gave them refuge on high ground, a place of rest, security and flowing streams. Quran 23:50

Where is this place? The works recently published by the Christian authors like Dan Brown, Margaret Starbird, Laurence Gardner, Lynn Picknett and in the past by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln have all indicated France -- and not Kashmir, to be the final abode of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The Hidden Lineage of Jesus with a detailed genealogical account starting from France has been published by Laurence Gardner in 2003.


Return of Jesus at the “End Time”?

For those who are anxiously waiting for the imminent 'Return of Jesus' from heaven and have their beliefs based upon the Church advocated Gospels, here is the Rediscovered Truth: Bible scholars like Dr. Constantine von Tischendorf, who after having personally examined the original hand written copies of the oldest available Four Gospels have noted that the texts for the physical ascension of Jesus to heaven or Jesus being carried by the angels to heaven, are lacking in these ancient documents. The texts that are found within the published copies of the circulating gospels on the subject of the physical ascension of Jesus have been added centuries later.

Since the True (unedited) Gospels do not record the physical ascension of Jesus to

For the vast majority of those who are eagerly waiting for the 'Return of Jesus' from the heaven and have their beliefs based upon the verses of the Qur'an, here is the Revealed Truth: The verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the prophet in Arabic. Within Arabic Text of the Qur'an, the evidence for the coming of Jesus at the End Time or at any time in the future is lacking. The name of Jesus does not appear in the Arabic Text of the verse 43:61, the only verse put forward by some scholars as an evidence for his second coming. The translators who have already accepted the concept for the "Second Coming of Jesus" from the traditional beliefs have inserted the name "Jesus" within brackets in their translations. One such example from Abdullah Yusuf Ali's English translation is given below. Besides, inserting the name of Jesus with the brackets, Yusuf Ali has mistranslated the Arabic word I'lm. Literally, this Arabic word translates "knowledge" but instead we find the word "Sign" in its place. The verse number 60, which immediately precedes the verse 43: 61, deals with the "angels" and not with Jesus.

Hence, the insertion of name "Jesus" in the ensuing verse number 61 is a pure conjecture and lacks the needed support from the Qur'an.

Please compare the following two translations as well as their related commentaries. The first translator has taken the liberty of inserting "within the brackets" the name of Jesus.

The second has not taken such a liberty with the revealed text. Please also notice how the concepts have changed drastically by such an insertion:

1. Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour) but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. Qur'an 43: 61.

Commentary Number 4662 by A. Yusuf Ali:

This is understood to refer to the second coming of Jesus in the Last Days before the Resurrection, when he will destroy the false doctrines that pass under his name, and prepare the way for the universal acceptance of Islam, the Gospel of Unity and Peace, the Straight Way of the Qur'an.

2. Translation by Dr. Muhammad Asad:

AND, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a means to know the Last Hour [is bound to come]; hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow Me: this [alone] is a straight way.

Commentary Number 41 by Dr. Muhammad Asad:

Whereas most of the commentators regard the pronoun hu in innahu as relating to Jesus and, consequently, interpret the above phrase as "he is indeed a means to know [i.e., an indication of the coming of] the Last Hour", some authorities - e.g., Qatadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Said ibn Jubayr (all of them quoted by Tabari, Badhawi and Ibn Kathir) - relate the pronoun to the Quran, and understand the phrase in the sense adopted in my rendering. The specific mention of the Last Hour in the above context is meant to stress man's ultimate responsibility before the Creator and, therefore, the fact that worship is due to Him alone: and so this parenthetic passage follows logically upon the mention of the false deification of Jesus.

The translation Number One contradicts the following revealed verses of the Qur'an. To believe that Jesus will come first and will rule the earth for such and such period and will wipe out all the evils from the earth and thereafter will come the End Time is to negate the following two verses of the Qur'an, which declares that the End Time will come suddenly. Jesus also spoke of the agreed time to come suddenly and none knows of its day or hour except the God.

And they say: When will this promise be fulfilled, if ye are truthful? They await but one Shout, which will surprise them while they are disputing. Then they cannot make bequest, nor can they return to their own folk. Qur'an 36: 48 – 50

There are sects within Islam that have sprung up based upon the concept of "some one" physically coming down from the heaven and playing a major role for their own community. Again the question is why would not Allah mention within the revealed Arabic text the name of the entity that is to come and spare the Muslim Brotherhood from schism? The Qur'an declares that Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets meaning no Prophet of God will come after him. Are the anxiously awaiting followers of Islam also going to follow the Christ along with the awaiting Christians, or they will have a contest for Christ?


All Prophets have died

1. "The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; messengers before him had indeed passed away." (5:75)

2. "And Muhammad is only a messenger — messengers have already passed away before him. If, then, he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels?" (3:143)

The second verse here explains the first one. Both verses are similarly worded, the first referring to Jesus, and the second to the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The Quran's verdict here is very clear for a truth-seeker. The first verse explicitly states that all prophets before Jesus had died — and all Muslims accept this. In the second verse, the same words are used to state that all prophets before the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) had died. In fact, since no prophet arose between Jesus and the Holy Prophet, the second verse could only have been revealed specifically to show that Jesus had died. Classical works of Arabic grammar tell us that, owing to the prefix al (the), the word messengers (al-rusul, lit. "the messengers") in the above two verses really means all messengers.


Holy Quran specifically mentions Jesus' death

Having explained so many general principles on the subject of life and death, it was not necessary that the Holy Quran should speak specifically of the death of Jesus. Nevertheless, Almighty God has particularly mentioned Jesus' death in the Quran. When the Jews succeeded in their plans to have Jesus sentenced to crucifixion, he prayed to God to be delivered from this fate, and was answered by Him thus :

"O Jesus, I will cause you to die, and exalt you to My presence, and clear you of those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve till the day of Judgment." (3:55)

Here God made with Jesus four promises:

1. "Cause you to die" (tawaffa), i.e., Jesus would not be killed by the Jews, but would die a natural death.

2. "Exalt you in My presence" (raf'a), i.e., he would not be crucified, which the Jews sought to do to prove him accursed, but rather he would receive Divine nearness. In fact, raf'a is the opposite of wad'a, the latter meaning disgrace and the former meaning honouring.

3. "Clear you of those who disbelieve" (tathir), i.e., he would be cleared of the Jews' allegations against him, as he was by the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

4. "Make those who follow you above those who disbelieve till the day of Judgement", i.e. his followers would forever have the upper hand over his rejectors.

The above verse proves that Jesus has died, for raf'a (exaltation to God's presence) is attained only after death when all the material veils have been removed. Every righteous person is granted raf'a to God after his death.

Thus God fulfilled all the above promises in order: He rescued Jesus from the hands of the Jews, and eventually granted him a natural death; after his death, God honoured his soul with Divine nearness; He cleared him of the Jews' allegations against him through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) and He gave Jesus' followers the upper hand over his rejectors.


CONCLUSION


THE HISTORICAL JESUS was a Jew who lived in Palestine in the days of the

Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, records the historian Flavius Josephus, a Pharisee who

was working for the Romans. Josephus records that many Jews and Greeks were attracted

by the words and deeds of this wise man. The gospels record that the ministry of Jesus

was short-lived. During that brief period, he preached the “Good News of God’s

Kingdom”. To those who believed in him, Jesus told these essential things: (1) “If you

abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and

the truth shall make you free.” (2) “I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these

things as the Allah taught me.” The fourth gospel also records that Jesus amazed his

disciples with the performances of great miracles and informed his listeners that he

always did the things that were pleasing to his Allah. Jesus was a “Righteous Prophet”

acknowledges the Qur’an. Many Jews rejected him and some used to confront him to his

face. Jesus simply told them to discover his realities in their own books. If they had

believed in their own prophet Moses, they would have found Jesus in the writings of

Moses. Jesus acknowledged, according to the prophecy of Moses, that he was similar to

Moses.


The Qur’an reveals:

And in their [earlier prophets] footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming The Torah that had come before him: We sent him The Gospel: therein was guidance and light and confirmation of The Torah that had come before him. A guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.


The Qur’an also reveals that all the earlier prophets were married and had offspring. That Jesus was no exception to this rule is supported by the text of the Gnostic Gospels discovered in 1945. The history of the earlier prophets recorded in the Qur’an tells us that

the One who had sent His Prophets upon this earth had caused them to undergo a trial but

in most cases when the prophets have called upon Allah, He had safe-guarded their lives.

And thereafter, in the majority of the cases, the prophets’ prestige had been restored and status elevated.
Wassalam,
SA
Dr. Shabbir
Posts: 1950
Joined: Sun Dec 24, 2006 12:46 pm
Contact:

Jesus Updated - Navid Masud, UK

Post by Dr. Shabbir »



I can say with humility and, at the same time, with confidence that QXP offers a much better translation of the verses you quoted.


:-)
Wassalam,
SA
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